We know from experience that Kate DiMera is a force to be reckoned with. However, the actress who portrays Kate on NBC's Days of Our Lives is nothing like the vengeful mother we all love to hate. Contrary to the diva on screen, Kate is a down-to-earth sort of gal who enjoys living on a farm with her husband and two children.

Early YearsLauren Alice Koslov (later changed to Koslow; a.k.a. Mahaley Hamilton) was born March 9, 1953 near Boston, Massachusetts. Her mother, a Docent, instilled a love of the outdoor life in her children including Lauren’s siblings, Linda and Donald. Koslow attended the University of Massachusetts and later transferred to Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University where she graduated with a theatre degree specializing in costume design, for which later earned her an award at the Kennedy Center's American College Theater Festival in Washington, D.C.

FilmographyAfter graduation, Koslow accepted an acting role in the Ten Little Indians with a summer stock theater group in Virginia, where she doubled as costume designer. Her first stint on television was the role of Lindsay Wells on the hit CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless that she played from 1984-1986. She then portrayed fashion designer Margo Lynley on the Bold and the Beautiful from the serial's inception until 1992 when she left to begin a family.

Other television appearances include The New Mike Hammer, Spies, Silk Stalkings, Valley of the Dolls, and The Nanny. Interestingly, she is also the voice of Madame Sophia Hamilton in the video game, Zork: Nemesis. Lauren Koslow has displayed great range as an actress. She has appeared in one movie, Hard to Hold. Lauren has proved that she can be dramatic as well as amusing. More recently, her roles include the comedic part of Marsha Leigh Dixon, a down-on-her-luck actress, in the internet series When Actors Need Money.

Awards & AcclaimIn 2000, Koslow was nominated for a Soap Opera Digest Award as Outstanding Supporting Actress for her work on Days of our Lives.

PersonalWhen not working, the 5’7” actress maintains her family home on a ranch in Northridge, California which is located in the San Fernando Valley with her husband, makeup artist Nick Schillace, and their two children. Zachariah Nicholas Koslow-Schillace (b. November 6, 1988) and Emilia Katari "Millikate" Koslow-Schillace (b. October 9, 1990) are both actors as well. The Koslow-Shillace family has an ever-increasing menagerie of animals, including a macaw, a gift from Tori Spelling.

Koslow enjoys traveling, painting and taking care of her pets, which include three dogs, a cat, and a bird with an attitude, two lizards, chickens, two pet rats, three horses, and a pony. She maintains her perfect figure by eating a healthy, working out regularly – to include horseback riding, and keeping up with her children. You may have noticed that her left two fingernails are usually painted a dark color. This is an acknowledgement to the musician David Bowie. When asked what she would be doing if she were not acting, her response was that she would consider being a geologist or a forest ranger. Her hobbies include hiking, camping, traveling, singing, and painting.